Star date: 30th August 2019

ROADS CLOSED TO SAVE THE PLANET AS EXTINCTION REBELLION HITS DEANSGATE

Manchester's Deansgate was closed off this morning as campaign group Extinction Rebellion began its four day Northern Rebellion, complete with boats, bands, music, plants, homeless support, smileys and dire warnings of climate change.

"What people need to try to hold onto is the level of disruption and suffering we are heading towards dwarfs anything we're doing as Extinction Rebellion" explained Zoe from Extinction Rebellion Manchester.

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As Extinction Rebellion supporters gave out leaflets to shoppers and commuters saying 'Sorry For Any Inconvenience', Manchester's Deansgate was totally blocked off on all sides to herald the four day Northern Rebellion...

"We're here to raise awareness and keep the momentum going to build the movement so that we can achieve the change that we need to see in the world, and achieve the three demands of Extinction Rebellion which are about the Government and the media telling the real truth about the science and that we are heading for absolute catastrophe" explained Zoe from Extinction Rebellion Manchester.

"Our children and grandchildren will grow up in a world that is nothing like we grew up in; a world in which sea level is rising, the weather is getting more and more extreme, crop failures will get more and more common, with mass migration, conflict, economic collapse and social collapse" she added "That is where we're heading if we don't change path. That's why we're here, even though we look around and everything looks quite normal. It's just not normal."

The Rebellion began with a solemn ceremony listing animals that have become extinct, from the Mauritius Owl to the Japanese River Otter, and regaling the names of eco-activists who have been murdered everywhere from the Philippines to the Congo.

Meanwhile all along Deansgate tents and stages were erected for speeches and music, training, education and art workshops, and support for the homeless. At one end of Deansgate was a giant 'chicken of the north' made from litter and crisp packets imploring 'Tell The Truth'; while at the other end a huge yellow boat strewn with 'Planet Before Profit' and 'Act Now' slogans blocked the junction with John Dalton Street.

As the day wore on, more and more people arrived, as passers-by gladly wore Extinction Rebellion stickers to a background of drumming bands and bicycle sound systems. Even so, the first speech of the day reiterated "We are here to tell the truth not to put on a show..."

It was a point emphasised by Zoe..."It might look a little like a festival...so there's going to be all sorts of fun stuff, family friendly activities, lots of training and talks; we've got all sorts of great stuff but it's learning and building the movement and it's about raising awareness amongst the people of Greater Manchester and the whole of the north of the country."

For those who merely see disruption in the city centre, she also had sympathy..."I know it can be really, really frustrating to not be able to get somewhere you really need to go, I do understand that, I'm a working mum myself" she explained "But what people need to try to hold onto is the level of disruption and suffering we are heading towards dwarfs anything we're doing as Extinction Rebellion.

"You only have to look in the news at the extreme weather events that are happening now – the Amazon is on fire, the Asian forests are on fire, there's a 22degrees heatwave in Greenland when it should be a high of seven degrees: it's getting really, really freaky" she added "We've known about this since the 1970s and 80s and we've just been carrying on regardless, partly because we've not been told the truth by governments and institutions and big business, so we have to do this.

"I'm a Mancunian and I don't want to have to do this to my fellow Mancunians but we really have no choice" she insisted "Parliament declared a Climate Emergency on 1st  May, a lot of which was because of what Extinction Rebellion did in London but they've done nothing since. There's the Heathrow expansion, HS2 which is the biggest tree felling episode since World War 2, and we've got Manchester Airport expansion and road expansion, and consumerism going on and on and on; and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the highest it's ever been for over a million years.

"We're doing a giant experiment on mankind and we've no idea if we can survive it" she concluded "Well actually we do, ladies and gentlemen. We know very clearly that once temperatures get up above 40 to 50 degrees centigrade we can't survive it, and those places are increasing around the world right now. We haven't got them in this country yet but it's coming...we need to have our eyes wide open and that's why we're here in Manchester."

The Northern Rebellion continues until Monday 2nd September – click here for the full line up of events.